Waddon Hill Fort

Flavian Auxiliary Fort (AD 69–96)

The Roman fort at Waddon Hill, Dorset, is situated on a narrow east-west ridge reaching 210 meters in height, with steep natural slopes to the south and west and linear ramparts facing north and east. Built by the Second Legion under Vespasian, the fort appears to have been constructed and occupied between AD 50–60, after the abandonment of Hod Hill. Though it has been suggested that it originated as a temporary camp during the campaign against nearby Pilsdon Pen, evidence suggests Pilsdon Pen was abandoned before the Roman invasion. A larger fort discovered in 2017 at Bradford Abbas is now believed to have been the main early fort in the region.

The site was first recognized in the 19th century when quarrying uncovered military artifacts from the 1st century AD. Excavations by James Ralls and Mr. Powlesland between 1878 and 1882 resulted in artifacts being preserved in Bridport Museum and the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Further investigations by Graham Webster from 1959 to 1962 revealed the full layout of the camp, except for areas lost to quarrying. The fort was abandoned around AD 61, coinciding with the Boudiccan revolt, as transport routes shifted along the Fosse Way and the coast. A Roman road to Waddon followed an ancient trackway, the Wessex Ridgeway, linking key locations such as Eggardon Hill, Beaminster, and Lamberts Castle. Notably, tesserae found in a nearby field in the 1950s suggest the presence of a bathhouse, potentially containing one of the earliest mosaics in England. Recent geophysical surveys by Bournemouth University in 2023 are expected to provide further insights when published in Britannia in November 2024.

Excavations at the site have also revealed a diverse range of animal remains, indicating the diet and activities of the Roman soldiers stationed there. Bones of oxen, sheep, goats, pigs, hares, and foxes have been found, with the latter likely hunted for sport or pest control. Soldiers also consumed various mollusks, including oysters, cockles, edible snails, and venerupis. Bird remains uncovered at the site include those of domestic and wild fowl such as chickens, ducks, mallards, waders, doves/pigeons, redwings, bantams, and ravens, reflecting a varied diet that incorporated both farmed and foraged food sources.